RAMAPO – The Rockland Community College men’s tennis team wrapped up another successful season by placing fifth at the NJCAA Division III national tournament. In their second straight trip to the finals in Plano, Texas, the Hawks finished one place higher than last year’s team.

Felipe Robles led the way for RCC, reaching the finals in the second singles competition. Robles, an international student from Colombia, dropped a tough three-set match in the final, falling 6-2, 4-6, 6-4 to top seed Safie Moamen of Brookdale (NJ). His runner-up finish made Robles a second-team All-American.

One other Rockland player and a pair of doubles teams reached the semifinals of their respective draws. Fifth singles player Daniel Rivera, the first doubles pairing of Juan Huertas and Robles, and the second doubles team of MacGregor Graham (a Nyack High School graduate) and Akinari Hotta all lost to the eventual champions in their brackets.

Huertas won the consolation bracket at first singles after falling in the opening round of the tournament. Daniel and Jovan Rivera, both Nyack High School alumni, did the same in the third doubles competition.

RCC won its second consecutive Region XV title and improved upon its finish at nationals despite playing this season with an entirely new team.

Hawk golfer qualifies for nationals

Playing his best golf of the season, Albert Johansmeyer of RCC earned himself a trip to the national tournament. Johansmeyer shot a 165 over two rounds in the Region XV tournament May 18-19 at Villa Roma Golf Course in Callicoon, NY.

After an 86 in the first round of the event, Johansmeyer, a second-year player at Rockland, came back with a terrific 79 on the second day. The winning team at the regional tournament qualifies for nationals, as do the top five individual players from other teams. Johansmeyer, a Tappan Zee High School graduate, tied for fourth among players outside of the winning Nassau CC squad.

He will head to the NJCAA Division III national golf championship, to be played in Chautauqua, NY, June 6-9.

RCC alum, former coach earns conference award

A former RCC baseball player and head coach, now coaching on the Division I level, earned a prestigious award for his performance this season. Pat Carey, the head coach at Iona College, was named Coach of the Year by the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC).

Carey’s team finished 14-10 in MAAC play this year, and qualified for the conference’s post-season tournament for the first time in 17 years. As the fourth seed in the double-elimination tournament, Iona won four games to make it all the way to the championship round before falling to Marist.

After starring at North Rockland High School, Carey played at RCC in 1995-96 and earned a scholarship to Providence. He returned to RCC in 2000 to be an assistant baseball coach, and became the head coach in 2003. After two successful years leading the Hawks, Carey pursued an opportunity to coach at the top level of college baseball, and just over a year later was hired as the head coach at Iona. His wife, Diana Carey, is an RCC Associate Professor and serves as the College’s athletic trainer.